by Sara Wood
She took a deep breath. Plunged into happiness. ‘Yes!’ she squeaked.
He kissed her long and slow. His hands drifted over her shoulders. She was absolutely still as he pushed off her concealing coat.
‘I love you so much!’ he breathed and hazily he stared at her. She was eyeing him in wary apprehension. ‘What? What’s the matter?’
She could hardly breathe. ‘Use your eyes, Vido!’
Her gaze dropped to look at her waist and so did his. He blinked. Looked again. His eyes closed.
‘Mia futura mamma!’ His eyes snapped open again and happiness lit his face as he took Anna’s face between his hands. ‘Oh, my darling! A baby! Our baby! You and me… This is something I’d hoped for, longed for—it was a mistake, I know, but when I thought you might be pregnant I—I—sweetheart, I’m rambling. Are you all right? Do you need to lie down or something—?’
‘No!’ she said, her eyes shining. ‘Stop flapping. I’m disgustingly well. You’re pleased?’
‘Pleased?’ He leapt up, strode around the room as if an excess of energy was pushing him along. ‘Pleased. Huh! Try ecstatic. Exhilarated. Intoxicated with joy. It’s…elettrizzaante.’
Watching his delight, she felt suddenly safe and serene. ‘Oh, Vido,’ she breathed. ‘I was so thrilled when I discovered I was pregnant. I’ve been cherishing our baby all these weeks. I—I believed it was all I had of you.’
In the middle of his energetic wandering, he spun around, his eyes darkening. ‘You weren’t going to tell me?’ he shot indignantly.
‘Don’t be angry with me. I couldn’t bear the thought that you might insist on marrying me because of our child,’ she said.
‘I would. Of course I would—’
‘Exactly. You’re an honourable man. But how do you think I would have felt, never knowing if you’d proposed because you felt sorry for my disfigured face—and because I was pregnant? I couldn’t bear that. You might have hated me for the rest of your life. And I was afraid that a shotgun marriage to me could have ruined your chance of happiness with a woman you’d love.’
‘Dio!’ he whispered, hurrying over and holding her close. ‘You’re the woman I love! And I almost lost you and our child.’
‘But you didn’t,’ she smiled. ‘The chestnut cake saw to that.’
‘You will definitely stay?’ He gave a shaky grin. ‘The kitchen’s been done.’
‘Oh, that changes everything,’ she said with a laugh. ‘Show me. I’m dying for a cup of tea.’
‘Anything else?’ he murmured, pulling her to her feet. ‘Rhubarb on toast? Vinegar sandwiches?’
Anna laughed. ‘Just tea,’ she said with an intensely happy sigh. ‘And you and our baby and love.’ She kissed him, deliriously happy. ‘What more,’ she murmured softly, ‘could a girl ever want?’
ISBN: 978-1-4268-6362-2
A PASSIONATE REVENGE
First North American Publication 2005.
Copyright © 2004 by Sara Wood.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.eHarlequin.com